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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Climate Surprise |
broadly define as a gap between one's expectation about the likely climate and the climate that occurs |
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example of expectable surprises |
floods, volcanoes |
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example of unexpectable surprises |
ozone hole |
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what is abrupt climate change? |
large and rapid changes in the physical climate system....changes take place within years to decades....unfold faster than expect/planned or budgeted for...leave little time for society and ecosystems to adapt |
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what are the two kinds of abrupt climate change associated with climate change? |
abrupt changes to the climate system itself...climate changes slowly, but leads to a tipping point in another system (climate change crosses a threshold for a particular species) |
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Abrupt Example: Plants |
Evapotranspiration from plants...threshold crossing: minor dry spell kills too many plants, evapotranspiration drops, positive feedback on drying...climate shifts into a severe drought...agricultural failures, possibility of famine |
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An abrupt cooling that occurred... |
The Younger Dryas 12,900 - 11,500 ya |
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What is a chironomid? |
larvae stage of a nonbiting midge...when emerges it looks like a mosquito but doesn't its...head capsules are made of chitin and preserved in lake sediments...can be identified to species level and used to infer temps. |
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What is a diatom? |
golden brown algae...microscopic...12,000 diff species...sensitive to subtle changes in salinity |
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Megafauna extinction event |
occurred 13,000 ya...many mammals weighing more than 40kg...in NA 33 of 45 went extinct |
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What caused megafauna extinction event? |
highly variable climate was too much for animals to overcome...climate change too rapid to flee...changes in vegetation left animals adapted to one type of plant with nothing to eat likely a combo with overhunting and stress |
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Thermohaline Circulation effects (on vs off) |
when on: temperate to wet climates with seasonal monsoons when off: cold, dry, windy climates |
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THC Impacts |
increase in extreme weather in Europe (storms/floods) collapse of North Atlantic plankton stocks <50% current biomass warming in tropics or poles changing rainfall patterns: monsoon fails reduced CO2 uptake of the ocean...+ feedback |
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Other abrupt surprises |
reorganization of ocean circulation disappearance of permanent sea ice in arctic changes in greenland/antarctic ice increase in climate sensitivity changes in precipitation patterns dieback in forests extinctions |
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what causes abrupt sea level rise |
warming of the oceans causes expansion and results in an increase in sea level...melting of land-based ice can increase the volume of water in the oceans and lead to sea level rise |
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what is mean sea level? |
average height of the oceans surface between high and low tide...changes in tides and wave conditions are averaged out to determine a "still water level" |
